64 A CHAT ABOUT THE KESTREL. 
that was the reason I took to them. Now although it was not 
exactly the correct thing for me to ignore our commoner house- 
hold pets, yet when I look back now I rather think the feeling 
sprang from a proper motive. I really fancied that the commoner 
any creature was, the more interesting its study became—and I 
think so still—more interesting because it is too common for 
people to notice it much. And so it really possesses the great 
charm of freshness, that ever present delight in Nature; and I 
feel the greatest pleasure in catching any ordinary animal out: in 
the fields—a mouse, a cricket, a bat, or a beetle, and in placing 
it in durance vile for a week or two while I am rude enough to 
make observations upon it. What wonders and mysteries there 
are close around us if we did but know it! What an abundance 
of amusement and instruction can be obtained if we do but use 
our senses. 
But I am wandering strangely ; I meant to write about the 
Kestrel, so I had better begin. If you ever want to study a 
bird, give it plenty ofroom. Do you think anybody could write 
the natural history of a Goldfinch from watching one in its cage 
about nine inches square? Is it at all likely that you get any 
clear ideas of the life of a Lark from seeing a wretched captive 
beat its head against the roof of alow cage in vain longings for 
the blue sky? I don’t think I could possibly keep a caged Lark. 
With Finches you may learn much, if you have a nice roomy 
aviary, and so you may in fact with most other birds. A Hawk 
of course wants a very large cage, but it is still better to give 
him the run of a garden. The Kestrel is more commonly seen 
in captivity than any other Hawk, and is really a most interesting 
creature. When brought up by hand from the nest it is very 
tame, and loses much of its natural fierceness; one that I kept 
would always come and caress my finger when I put it into the 
cage. But when caught and confined it is a long time before it 
is at all tractablo, though by proper management and very 
patient and careful training it may even then be taught to go 
‘hawking.’ I never went in, however, for this branch of study. 
And of course ifnot treated kindly it remains savage and violent ; 
